Could FireAid Crush Future Celebrity Benefit Concerts?
Alarming study shows where money from star-studded affair actually went
“Whenever Los Angeles gets into trouble, the musicians are right there, and I’m proud to be one of them,” Graham Nash
“It’s one of the most important gigs we’ve ever played,” Green Day lead singer Billie Joe Armstrong
January’s FireAid benefit concert came and went. A staggering array of stars assembled to raise money for, what the event’s organizers dubbed, “short-term and long-term recovery efforts” following the devastating California fires, according to Reuters.
Oh, really.
FireAid raised $100 million to go directly to Los Angeles wildfire victims. As you can see the $100 million went directly to anyone but Los Angeles wildfire victims. pic.twitter.com/ELW661SlRh
— Kevin Dalton (@TheKevinDalton) September 10, 2025
A new report from The New York Post shared where some of the money went. Let’s just say that $100 million went just about everywhere and, in some cases, to “short-term and long-term recovery efforts.”
In other cases…
The outlet describes some the 197 charities as “a variety of niche, woke and DEI causes not directly related to helping fire victims.”
Need examples?
- Uniforms for children’s choirs
- The Buddhist Tzu Chi Foundation
- Podcasters discussing the wildfires
- Free veterinary care for “fire-affected animals”
- Sanitizing pre-schools
- NAACP Pasadena
- My Tribe Rise
- The CA Native Vote Project
- The Los Angeles Black Worker Center
It’s a scandal, one that puts the celebrity participants in a harsh light. That’s why the media has been mostly silent on the Post’s shocking report.
The far-Left TheWrap.com took the organization’s spin job on the report, courtesy of an independent investigation.
The report stated that they did not find any evidence of misconduct or ill-intent taken by FireAid in its distribution of funds. Additionally, they found that FireAid enacted its mission and did not “deceive donors.”
Other news outlets shared that spin, preferring not to add the details shared by The New York Post.
Did Joe and Jane Sixpack give their hard-earned cash for children’s choir uniforms? DEI-based groups? Fire-related podcasts?
Will any Hollywood journalist ask the celebrities who took part in FireAid their thoughts on the money distribution? Do they approve of the selections? What about Miles Teller? Here’s what he said during the concert:
“All of the money raised will go directly to people who need it now.”
John Mayer prefaced his cover of “Free Fallin'” by telling the FireAid crowd how the concert will help make things right.
“This [song] was our first insight into the dream of living in California – and it is a dream. And for those whose dreams have broken… we will get together tonight and many other nights to make sure those dreams are repaired.”
A Washington Free Beacon story on FireAid shared similar results to The Post’s exposé.
Some of the groups that have received funds explicitly exclude white people from their services, while others advertise programs for illegal aliens.
It, too, got mostly ignored by other press outlets.
The conservative outlets didn’t share the total handouts from FireAid. It’s likely some money went to worthy causes – people and communities directly impacted by the fires. Breitbart News shared details about one such example:
The audit cited the example of After the Fire, a survivors’ support organization that was singled out for criticism by Rep. Kevin Kiley (R-CA) but which has, in face, helped local residents organize to advocate for their interest against abusive practices by insurance companies.
What about the rest?
The story hasn’t gotten mainstream attention, at least not yet. It may never reach mass exposure. But if it does, consider how consumers will react to future benefit concerts.
Would you give them a nickel?